


playing with explosive hearts

by wae



Series: freaks and greeks [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fraternity, Ambiguous Relationships, Bottom Moon Taeil, Casual Sex, Drinking, House Party, Jealousy, M/M, OT3, Pining, Polyamory, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:20:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22600012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wae/pseuds/wae
Summary: Two best friends join a fraternity during the start of their second year in college. Jaehyun's just in it for the fun, but Doyoung is more than a little bit interested in the third-year active who goes by the name of Moon Taeil.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Moon Taeil, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Moon Taeil, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Moon Taeil
Series: freaks and greeks [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626193
Comments: 19
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

Jung Jaehyun is a lot of things, but clever is not one of them.

Doyoung has known him since they were in the seventh grade, and don’t get him wrong, Jaehyun has always been smart. A good, straight A’s, honor-roll student alongside Doyoung, but there are times when he suddenly catches these stupid, stupid ideas that Doyoung inevitably has to go along with, and those said ideas end up changing their lives forever. Whether that’s for better or for worse, he doesn’t know.

Several years later, Jaehyun is still the same person that Doyoung has known all this time. He may be spontaneous and a little bit out of control, but he’s still Doyoung’s best friend.

“So, we’re sophomores now,” Jaehyun announced unceremoniously once he finished unpacking his suitcase on their dorm room's floor.

It's the last day of winter break, and the two of them have just returned from visiting their families for a couple of weeks. Technically, they're not sophomores just yet, because enrollment period isn't ongoing until the end of February.

But Doyoung agrees anyway, because he can't hide the fact that he's excited for what's to come. 

“Uh-huh,” he replies, looking up from the screen of his phone.

They've heard a lot of sayings from the upperclassmen, stuff like you haven't fully experienced college yet until you're a second-year, that it's where your journey truly begins and you're no longer a little caterpillar, but a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

"You don't look too thrilled about it, hyung," Jaehyun ponders aloud. "Are you sure you're ready to be moving up a year and finally having to try out all the good things that the college has to offer?"

“Yep.” Even though Doyoung's not exactly the picture of excitement on the outside, he's practically jumping for joy on the inside. Right now, he's got cute girls and free booze on his mind, and he'll be damned if those aren't something worthy to look forward to.

But then, Jaehyun has that look that he gets when a particularly crazy idea strikes him out of the blue, like a lightbulb going off. "Hey, you know what would be a great way to start the school year with a bang?"

Doyoung finally puts down his phone and sits up to look at Jaehyun properly. "Do I want to know?" he asks skeptically.

Ignoring the question altogether, Jaehyun hauls his ass up from the floor, sitting down next to Doyoung on their couch that's too small for two guys over the height of 5"10. He throws an arm around his shoulder and says, very earnestly, "We should join a frat."

Doyoung heaves a deep sigh. He shouldn't have bothered asking.

⋆★⋆

Despite being in different faculties when they entered college, Jaehyun and Doyoung still take most of their Gen Ed classes together. Jaehyun's in Theater, and Doyoung's in Music, but somehow, that doesn't change the fact that they've been together for a good chunk of their lives. It also doesn't stop Jaehyun from pestering Doyoung about his very terrible idea of joining a frat shortly after the first semester has started.

"Come on, hyung," Jaehyun whines as they pretend to listen to their lecture on Intro to Philosophy. "It'll be fun, what's the harm in trying?"

They're seated in the far back of the hall, Macbooks opened on their desks to make it look like they're actually studying instead of gossiping with each other like a pair of teenage girls.

"Jae," Doyoung says, "do you really think I'm the type of guy who's suited to join a fucking frat?"

Jaehyun leans back on his seat, completely oblivious to Doyoung's concerns. "Why not? I talked to the guys from the dance club about it, and Ten-hyung and Sicheng told me that they're going to be rushing when the recruitment period starts. You should ask around the chorale group if anyone you know is going too."

Doyoung groans. He doubts anyone in his chorale group would resort to doing anything like that, since their org is basically the equivalent of the band geek table in the cafeteria. In short, they're a bunch of nerds who don't even have the guts for it. "Why are you so dead set on us joining a frat, anyway?"

At that, Jaehyun's eyes light up completely. "Because this isn't just any ordinary frat, hyung. This is NCT we're talking about, Nu Chi Tau, the biggest frat in campus! Hell, maybe it's even the biggest in the whole country!"

"I'm not convinced, Jung Jaehyun."

"Okay, imagine this: you and me with a whole new circle of brothers and tight-knit friends, we'd party every other night, get a lot of action— if you know what I mean. We'd be living the college life that we've dreamed of ever since!"

When Doyoung doesn't reply and just keeps scrolling through his Twitter feed, Jaehyun pokes him on the arm with the cap of his pen. "Remember what you told me when we were still freshies?"

"Not really, no." Doyoung shakes his head. "I told you a lot of stuff back then, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but there was this one thing you said when we had just entered uni. You said that we had to make our time here as memorable as possible."

Doyoung is still wearing that undecided look on his face, so Jaehyun continues. "As for me, I don't think that what we've done so far could be counted as memorable enough, but what about you, hyung?"

"Fine," Doyoung says, with a newfound determination. "You win this argument. We're rushing this NCT or whatever it's called if it's the last thing I'll do."

Jaehyun then crushes him in a tight bear hug, but only until Professor Kim Heechul hurls a solid piece of chalk right onto his forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title from nct 127 - good thing  
> apparently all i know how to write are college aus. it's my second sem and second year so maybe it’s just me projecting my past expectations... anyway, i hope you guys enjoyed this even a little bit ;-;  
> you can yell at me on [twt](https://twitter.com/ahwaeee)


	2. Chapter 2

All in all, Doyoung’s semester has been fine so far, but every so often he is reminded by the fact that he has more or less set himself up for a rollercoaster ride of debauchery, and it’s all because of Jung Jaehyun, his fool of a best friend that he loves despite all of his simpleminded ideologies. But, god, Doyoung hates rollercoasters and he’s going down with Jaehyun whether he likes it or not.

Spring recruitment rolls around in the blink of an eye at the start of March. 

Hundreds of college students gather in the campus oval one sunny afternoon, and amongst all of them, Doyoung and Jaehyun are standing by the corner of Nu Chi Tau’s booth with a bunch of other hopefuls who either look determined as hell or like lost children searching for any sort of guidance and supervision in their life. There are surprisingly a lot of guys that they know added to the mix. Ten and Sicheng are present, as expected, but Doyoung is dumbstruck when he sees the guys from his chorale group, Donghyuck and Jungwoo who are first years, and Kun, his block mate who’s about as benevolent as a saint and the last person he would have thought to see here. 

There are many unfamiliar faces, too, mostly the exchange students and freshmen. But aside from that, there are Nu Chi Tau’s current serving officers, who look intimidating as all hell when they’re sitting in a neat row side to side with each other.

Doyoung grips the recruitment flyer in his hands that he had snagged from some random kid passing them out on the quad. “Hear me out,” he nervously tells Jaehyun. “Don’t these guys look pretty scary? It wouldn’t be a bad idea if we rush other frats too, right? I mean— I’m not backing out or anything, I’m just saying it’s better if we had more options.”

Jaehyun fixes him with a scrutinizing look. “Getting cold feet all of a sudden, hyung? We’ve come this far, the only way to go now is straight ahead.”

_ Snap out of it,  _ Doyoung internally scolds himself. He takes a deep breath and releases, squaring his shoulders as he does. “Yeah,” he mumbles, “I guess you’re right.”

Jaehyun’s expression changes into a pleased smile as he pats Doyoung reassuringly on the back. “Now, that’s the spirit! Come on, we better talk to the actives if we wanna experience the frat life for ourselves.”

Doyoung makes a face at him. Jaehyun’s being too eager for his own good again, but still, Doyoung follows him over to the table where NCT’s officers are answering a bunch of kids about their questions on fraternity life. There’s quite a number of people talking to them, so Doyoung and Jaehyun have to stand in line for a bit and wait for the crowd to clear up until a spot finally appears in front of them. Jaehyun gets to work immediately, leaning his elbows on the table and stooping down so that he’s at eye level with one of the officers.

“Hi,” he greets, flashing his bright, confident grin that no one can resist.

“Hi!” comes the enthusiastic reply. “I’m Taeil, Vice President for Nu Chi Tau.”

Doyoung cranes his head around Jaehyun’s broad back so he can take a peek, and  _ oh— _ that’s not what he was picturing at all. With a warm, gentle voice and an air about him that’s strangely comforting, it’s hard to imagine that this person is VP of a fraternity, especially when he’s got these three other guys beside him that look tough as nails.

Jaehyun’s voice drags him out of his reverie. “I’m Jung Jaehyun, and this here is my friend, Kim Dongyoung. We’re both second-years and looking to be prospective members, so I’d appreciate it if you could show us the ropes.”

Somehow, every word that Jaehyun speaks is charming and laced with his trademark self-assurance, something that Doyoung could never in a million years learn.

Taeil smiles up at them, and Doyoung doesn’t really get it, but he looks so innocent in a way that seems so wrong. “Have you grabbed one of our flyers yet? It has all the information you need to know if you’d like to participate during rush week.”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun says noncommittally, “flyers are great and all, but it’d be a big help if you were the one to help us out.”

Doyoung rolls his eyes at his theatrics. Jaehyun naturally excels in a multitude of aspects, but if there’s one thing he’d be the best at, it’s getting people to dance around the palm of his hand, but even a bystander like Doyoung can tell that Taeil isn’t biting, but maybe that’s because he’s known Jaehyun for years.

“Well, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me if you decide to pledge,” Taeil said, this time with a more provoking tone to it. “It’s all up to you, really.”

“Are you doubting me?” Jaehyun taunted, tilting his head playfully to the side. “I’ll have you know that I’m a man of my words. Nu Chi Tau is the only frat that I’m going to rush. I’ve decided that from the start.”

“What about your friend over there?” Taeil nods over to Doyoung, making him blink dazedly. “Can we count on him to attend our event this weekend?”

As if on cue, Jaehyun elbows Doyoung on the ribs, making him flinch. “Of course,” he ends up answering for Doyoung when he doesn’t speak and just gapes at the two of them. “Wherever I go, he goes, after all. Isn’t that right, hyung?”

Doyoung smiles a strained kind of smile at them, managing to let out a small, “Yeah.”

“Great,” Taeil claps his hands together once, “that settles it, then. See you this Saturday, kids.”

Jaehyun grumbles a little at the thought of being called a kid, but then, the guy beside Taeil interrupts them with a strict look in his eyes.

“Hey,” he chided, “if you guys are finished with your questions, then get going. There’s a queue forming behind you already. We’d appreciate it if you didn’t get in the way of our other PNMs.”

“Taeyong, it’s fine,” Taeil assures him, then gives Jaehyun and Doyoung a small wave. “Go on, you two. Run along.”

“Let’s go, hyung.” Jaehyun begrudgingly pulls Doyoung with him to leave the booth. But even then, Doyoung can’t count the number of times he’s looked back to steal minuscule glances at Nu Chi Tau’s Vice President.

  
  


⋆★⋆

  
  


Parties at Nu Chi Tau go pretty hard, but of course, that goes without saying.

Saturday approaches faster than greased lightning, and at present, Doyoung and Jaehyun are standing outside of the chapter house in matching Adidas tracksuits to honor the dress code of Yoga Hoes and Workout Bros, the night’s party theme. Someone’s mixtape is blaring through the partially opened door and windows, and even the front lawn is occupied by a horde of college students in athletic attires. They make their way inside the house with curious steps, making sure to avoid all traces of trash and vomit and other toxic substances scattered about the floor.

Ten is the first one to spot them, beckoning them over to where he’s gathered in a circle with other acquaintances from their year. “Hey!” he yells. “Wanna join the Sophomore Whores Club?”

“That’s terrible,” Sooyoung rolls her eyes as the guys laugh. “You’ve got bad taste, Ten.”

If Doyoung remembers the situation clearly, Sooyoung and Jaehyun had kind of a summer fling going on in the past, but they still remained good friends afterwards. What he’s more baffled at is that Sejeong, his ex from high school, is sitting right there with them. Sicheng’s also there, as well as a few guys from Gamma Omicron Tau and Sigma Beta Tau. But then again, it’s awkward enough as it is with the girls they used to have history with. 

“Maybe later,” Jaehyun answers, sensing Doyoung’s unease. “We’ll need to get some drinks first. Need to meet the big brothers, too.”

“Yeah, sure, ditch us like you always do, Mr. Famous!” Bambam calls out after him, but Jaehyun just sends him an apologetic laugh and drags Doyoung along to the kitchen. 

“What the fuck,” Doyoung said under his breath as he hastily served himself a cup of jungle juice from the drink dispenser. “I didn’t think it would be like this. It’s like everyone we fucking know is in this house right now.”

Jaehyun huffs a tiny laugh at his reaction, grabbing a drink of his own. “You okay? Seeing Sejeong back there was a shocker, huh? But I bet she’s not the only one of your exes in here. I think I saw Jisoo-noona somewhere around here too.”

“Cut it out,” Doyoung scoffs. “We were never together. That was just a one-time thing.”

“So?” Jaehyun raised an eyebrow. “Are you actually ready to mingle or are we just going to congregate in the kitchen like a pair of losers?”

“I’m sorry,” Doyoung sighs in a fit of hopelessness. “You should go hang out with your friends. It’s okay if you want to.”

“But you’re my friend, too,” Jaehyun argued, “I met you even before I met any of them.”

Doyoung kept silent. He took a long sip from his drink. Jaehyun sighed and started to talk again. He was still frustrated, but his words didn't have the bite that it used to have before. “I just want us to have fun, hyung. It isn’t as fun if you’re not with me.”

A silence passes over them once more. Someone noisily stumbles into the kitchen, and then another someone follows. Doyoung flicks his eyes over to the intrusion, and that’s when he recognizes them.

“Oh, hey!” Taeil’s eyes widen comically at the sight of them. “You guys made it here!”

“We promised, didn’t we?” Jaehyun replied.

The other guy is the same one who told them off at the recruitment booth, this pretty boy with an aura of total authority that would be scary if only he wasn’t drunk out of his mind. “You two,” he slurred, “rushees?”

“Yep. Remember us from before?” Jaehyun asked.

Doyoung isn’t paying attention to any of this exchange, instead staring unabashedly at how Taeil looks in those tiny gym shorts and that oversized hoodie with the campus’ logo on it.

“Um,” Taeil shifted, making Doyoung pull himself together. “Kim Dongyoung, right?”

“Just Doyoung is fine,” he croaked out, sounding embarrassingly like a prepubescent boy all of a sudden.

“Doyoung,” Taeil nodded, and  _ god, _ his voice really does sound nice. “Have you met the rest of the brothers yet? We’re having drinks out on the yard. You can join us, if you’d like.”

Doyoung scratches his head. “That’s fine and all, but— is your friend going to be okay?”

“Oh god,” Taeil yelped, “don’t puke all over the kitchen floor, Taeyong!”

Fortunately, Jaehyun has quick reflexes and gets Taeyong to the sink before the unthinkable even happens. Taeil and Doyoung share an incredulous look with each other, and then gradually builds up into sudden laughter, like the carbonation of soda escaping from its bottle. Fizzing, erupting.

“Excuse me?” Jaehyun cuts in exasperatedly. “We’re still right here?” 

“I’m sorry,” Taeil’s still giggling when he answers Jaehyun. “Help me carry him upstairs and then I’ll take him to bed. I swear Taeyong’s not usually this irresponsible.”

“Yeah, well,” Jaehyun huffs, “you can make it up to me later.”

Taeil smiles. “I think I will.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was supposed to post this in celebration of valentine's and jaehyun's birthday but i was too busy to complete it...  
> but anyway, here's a 6k+ words update to apologize for blueballing the readers lmao
> 
> many thanks to everyone who's checked out this story, i appreciate all of you 💕

“Well, this is good publicity for NCT’s chapter President,” Taeil deadpanned once they’ve all done their duty of tucking Taeyong into bed. He looks harmless as a fly now compared to the leader of the pack that everyone’s made him out to be. It’s a bit of an interesting sight, even more so when Taeil sets down a puppy plushie for him to hug.

“At least now we know we’re in good hands?” Doyoung shrugs.

“Yeah,” Taeil agreed fondly. “He’s a real softie inside, I’ll tell you that.”

“We better give Taeyong-hyung some peace and quiet now,” Jaehyun said. “And I still need more drinks.”

Taeil laughed, and Doyoung thinks that sound won’t ever get old to him. “Yeah, okay. You deserve a cold one after helping Taeyong and I.”

Their trio head out to the yard where the big brothers had been quietly overlooking the party. Taeil introduces them to the group while Jaehyun and Doyoung timidly hide behind him like they’re a couple of baby ducklings and he’s the mother. The brothers are all in the third-year and rightfully popular in their own ways, which makes them an even more formidable group.

“Sit down, don’t be shy!” Taeil instructs them while patting the empty chairs on either side of him. It does a good job of quelling their nerves, and so they do, eventually relaxing in Taeil’s presence.

“Christ, Taeil-hyung,” the very tall one called Johnny says. (Though, he goes by the name of Youngho to close friends, as they said.) He’s a point guard on the basketball team and the frat’s Chaplain. “You’ve gone and picked up more helpless rushees?”

“You know he can’t help it,” Yuta, NCT’s Treasurer and transferee from Japan added. Doyoung’s not quite sure why he’s Treasurer, since he looks like someone who’d swindle you out of your time and money. “The maternal instinct just kicks in sometimes.” Taeil fist-bumped him in agreement.

And then there’s Ji Hansol, who’s, well— let’s just say he’s an enigma of some sort. He’s breathtakingly handsome but it’s hard to figure out what’s going on in his mind. For some reason, he’s also acting as their Sergeant-at-Arms. “You said your names were Jung Jaehyun and Kim Dongyoung?” he questioned.

The said two nodded apprehensively.

“I’ve seen your names before. You’re dean listers, isn’t that right?”

“No shit?” Johnny exclaimed, almost falling off his chair with how far back he leans.

“Perfect,” Taeil applauded, “now I know who our bids are going to.”

At that, Jaehyun grips Doyoung’s wrist so tightly that he thinks it’s going to snap. He must be so fucking excited at the prospect of finally being accepted in his dream frat. Yuta grins at the two. “It’s kind of early to decide that, but if you bring it up with Taeyong then I’m sure he’ll approve too.”

Humming thoughtfully, Johnny stands up from his seat. He towered over everyone in an instant, though that’s nothing new when he stood out like a skyscraper even as they’re all seated. “But there’s something you’ve got to prove first. We’re not going to hand out bids that easily. We’re looking for something very specific in our rushees,” he chuckled.

In succession, Yuta also stands up, cracking his knuckles. “Let’s see how good you two are at BP,” he challenged. “When Youngho and I are in the same team, we’re unstoppable.”

“That’s funny,” Jaehyun taunted them before taking a swig out of his beer bottle. He nods towards Doyoung, who’s finally getting off the lawn chair and stretching his limbs out.  “‘Cause I could say the same for us.”

Taeil and Hansol can be heard quietly snickering at the standoff currently unfolding before their eyes. They’re the same kind of passive onlookers that welcome pandemonium rather than preventing it, and in retrospect, Doyoung should have taken that as a sign of caution but instead he follows them inside the house and positions him and Jaehyun adjacent to Johnny and Yuta.

Doyoung would like to think that he’s agile, a fast learner, and has good reaction time but holy shit— he has to admit that Johnny and Yuta are some of the best pong players he’s seen. They line up shot after shot without missing and Doyoung and Jaehyun have to throw back drink after drink in repercussion. 

The second to the last thing he remembers is missing his fastball and making it land by leaps and bounds on the soiled floor behind Johnny and Yuta.

However, the last thing he remembers is passing out somewhere in the house after they spectacularly lose the game, and two different pairs of hands rubbing soothing circles onto his back.

⋆★⋆

Hours later, Doyoung awakens in the comfort of his dorm room to the familiar sound of Jaehyun’s footsteps.

“You’re up?” Jaehyun softly asks as he shuffles back into his own bed across Doyoung’s. “I was just eating some instant noodles. Got hungry all of a sudden.”

When Doyoung tries to sit up, his head aches with the force of a thousand pins and needles prickling it. There’s a huge gap in between his memories from the previous night,  and he has a lot of questions that need answering, but he figures to ask Jaehyun the most obvious one. “...Did I just black-out?”

“Dude,” Jaehyun said in a disdainful tone, but being the best friend that he is, he still manages to sate all of Doyoung’s curiosities effortlessly. “You were absolutely shitfaced. You were, like, dozing on Taeil-hyung’s lap for a solid hour or so, then he and the brothers had to take us home using Johnny-hyung’s car.”

“Seriously?” Doyoung groaned as he rubbed at the corners of his swollen eyes. “That’s so lame of me. I bet you weren’t even tipsy the whole time. I really can’t beat you, Jae.”

Jaehyun snorted unattractively, making Doyoung feel a little bit better from his usual silly antics. “You slept. On Taeil-hyung’s lap. And did you know he called you cute while you were pretty much drooling all over him? I’d say that you’re the winner of this night.”

Doyoung’s eyes widen to the size of plates. Thankfully, the lights are off so Jaehyun can’t see how ridiculous he looks. “Jae, are you… Do you like Taeil-hyung?”

“I dunno,” comes the honest reply. ”I enjoy being around him. I think that he’s adorable. That’s it, really.”

Doyoung has a tendency to shut up whenever he feels anxious about something. It may not seem like it but he’s awfully talkative once he gets to know someone. But with Jaehyun, it’s easy, it’s comfortable. He can say just the right amount of words and Jaehyun will get it immediately. That’s how close they are. In this case, it’s not really necessary, but the sentence slips off Doyoung’s tongue before he can stop it, like he needs to prove something.

“Just for the record, I think he’s adorable too.”

Even in the obscurity of the room, Doyoung can still vividly picture Jaehyun’s cunning smile.

“I know.”

⋆★⋆

By now, Doyoung’s gotten used to NCT’s partying routine, which is generally what happens when you’ve been attending all their events for seven days straight. Although, he’s beginning to worry about his own wellbeing since he’s drowning his poor liver every night (because of Jaehyun) and attending his lectures half-asleep or hungover (also Jaehyun’s fault). On the upside, he’s met plenty of friends and gotten all their names and faces down, useful information for when he’s going to be pledging. 

Somehow, the party’s even wilder this time around compared to all the other nights before.

Maybe it’s because Doyoung and Jaehyun left early last night, choosing instead to eat greasy takeout fast food on the floor of their dorm and argue amongst themselves on whether or not life outside Earth exists. The reason why was because it had been a Graffiti party and Jaehyun was too paranoid to get glow stick fluid or Sharpie stains on his expensive white shirt (which was an inefficient judgment on his part) so they hightailed it out of there.

Tonight was Hawaiian Luau, and so Doyoung and Jaehyun had to throw on floral button-ups and khaki board shorts for the occasion.

At the very moment that they step into the vicinity of the chapter house, it becomes painfully clear that this is  _ indeed _ the big finale of rush week. Anyone can see that crazy shit was going down, and it wasn’t stopping anytime soon. There's Mark throwing up behind a car, Johnny pissing on the bushes, and Yuta taking a bong hit seated by the gutter. They avoid this scene altogether, though Hansol has other plans when he stops them at the front door.

“Hold it,” he says, waving the assemblage of leis made from artificial flowers in his hands. “You need to wear these before you can get in.”

“Do we have to?” Doyoung shares a look with Jaehyun.

Hansol just spares them a bored glance. There’s a possibility he’s been here for hours just passing out garlands to everybody who comes in. “Think of it as your entry ticket to the party.”

“Cool,” Jaehyun comments as he takes one for Doyoung and one for himself. “So, are you like on guard duty or something, hyung?”

Hansol gruffly sounds his response. “Not only that, but I’m designated driver tonight, too. The alcohol is off-limits for me so enjoy it in my stead.”

“Cool, cool,” Jaehyun repeats as he peeks around Hansol’s frame and into the house. “Have you seen Taeil-hyung anywhere, though?”

Honestly, that was the one thing Doyoung wanted to know too, but he at least wanted to be subtle about it for Hansol’s sake, so he slapped Jaehyun’s chest with the back of his hand. “Nice going, asshole.”

“Backyard, hula-ing in a grass skirt and a coconut bra,” said Hansol with about as much enthusiasm as a man who had to spend preposterous amounts of his time in front of a door to hand out  _ fucking garlands. _

“Wait, really?” Jaehyun clasped Hansol firmly on the shoulder.

“No, not really,” Hansol winced as he pried Jaehyun’s hand off him.

“Bummer.”

“Just hurry up and go inside.”

Doyoung convinces Jaehyun to have mercy on their poor hyung who’s been reduced to a mere doorman. He’d like to think it’s just Taeyong power-tripping to make up for all those past times he’s been way too plastered to act as President.

At this point, the entrance of the house could be considered a danger zone, so they head on over to the living room, but there are crowds of people gathered there too because Lucas is currently doing a keg stand in the middle of it all. Okay, so. The living room is out of the question too. Next stop is the kitchen.

But even the usually empty kitchen is invaded because there’s a gigantic ice luge set up in the center. 

“Wow,” Jaehyun whistles, “they really went all out this time, huh.”

“Hey, Jaehyun! Over here!” Amidst the flock of partiers, there’s a rowdy bunch calling for Jaehyun’s attention. They’re the guys that he usually hangs around with when he’s not together with Doyoung, which makes sense because those guys are born in the same year as him and share a similar mental capacity with him (in other words: they act like overgrown children around each other).

“Uh-oh,” Jaehyun turns to Doyoung as if he’s seeking approval. “I’m being summoned again.”

“Go on, you demon,” Doyoung nods, “just don’t cause too much trouble.”

Before blending in with his group of same-aged friends, Jaehyun smiles impishly. “Can’t make any promises, hyung.”

Contrary to popular belief, Doyoung and Jaehyun aren’t actually attached to the hip and they do take some time off away from each other. It’s more out of social obligation more than anything else, really. Both of them do enjoy each other’s company immensely, but moments like this can’t be helped when you’re constantly surrounded by a hundred some people who simply just want to mingle.

Sometimes Doyoung joins the first-years, mostly just to pick petty fights with Donghyuck or to dote on his favorite, Lee Jeno. Other times, he can be seen talking to the rest of the chorale group, but for the most part, Doyoung is with the brothers of Nu Chi Tau, gradually getting to know them.

He wanders off away from the kitchen and follows the source of the most noise in the house. It seems to be coming from the backyard, so Doyoung marches on like he’s a man on a mission. (“A mission to search and destroy?” Johnny asks him while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively when Doyoung passes him by. And well, he’s not wrong about that.)

Doyoung locks on his target, a head of slightly bleached hair that he can barely see because of how many people there are. Taeil is indeed in the backyard, not _‘_ _ _hula-ing in a grass skirt and a coconut bra’_ _ like Hansol said, but close enough. An impromptu conga line seems to have formed, Migos playing in the background while a string of half-drunk students moved erratically to the beat. A bonfire also burns by the corner, so there’s that.

Dumbstruck for a second at the nonsensical mess in front of him, Doyoung stands still on a patch of drying grass, until Taeil spots him and breaks away from the line.

“Just got here?” Taeil says, catching his breath a little. A thin sheen of sweat shines on the golden skin of his chest, and Doyoung can’t take his eyes away.

“Kinda. I was wondering what the commotion was about so I came here to see,” Doyoung replied in what he hopes is a casual way, pocketing his hands so that he won’t  _ accidentally  _ brush Taeil’s fringe away from his eyes.

“I’ve been looking for you all night,” Taeil professed. Doyoung didn’t even have time to react before Taeil was pulling him by the arm and seating them down on a bench, away from everyone else.

Just as they sit down, a blur of two figures whirs past them. “Wait, Seulgi-noona!” Taeyong wails, chasing after a girl who, quite frankly, looks like she doesn’t want to be there at all.

“Ugh, that Taeyong. He better not be up to some dumb shit again,” Taeil sighed. He must have noticed the concerned look on Doyoung’s face, so he assured him, “Don’t worry, Yuta and I made him promise to have self-control tonight. I don’t mind if he’s picking up girls, but he’ll be getting an earful from us if he ends up wasted again.”

A promise doesn’t seem like an effective deterrent to alcohol, but Doyoung supposes NCT must have their own ways of getting their President to discipline himself. “Is it always like this on the last day?” he questioned incredulously.

“Oh, yeah.” Taeil grinned at him. “Last year, someone managed to steal Taeyong’s entire gaming PC set. Up ‘till now, we still don’t know who’s the culprit.”

Doyoung shook his head. “Now I’m having second thoughts on whether or not I should drink tonight.” 

“You’ve got bad tolerance, don’t you?”

“I don’t think I’m that bad,” Doyoung laughed, “but I’m definitely not better than Jaehyun.”

Taeil hummed. “You should drink up. It’s the last night, after all. Come on, let’s get something in the kitchen. I haven’t had much to drink myself.”

And so Doyoung lets Taeil pull him along once again, their fingers intertwined. He doesn’t know how it happened but he doesn’t say anything because they break free from each other soon enough to grab some cups of fruit punch. The earlier crowd in the kitchen seems to have dissipated, Jaehyun is also nowhere to be seen, probably with Bambam and Yugyeom and Mingyu and God knows who else.

“It feels weird every time I see that Jaehyun isn’t with you,” Taeil idly commented, taking sips from his cup every now and then.

Doyoung shrugged, staring at the way Taeil’s Adam’s apple moves when he swallows. “We don’t have to be together all the time.”

“I know,” Taeil patted Doyoung’s hand, and even that sends fireworks through his skin. “I’m just thinking about how you two are a good match. Kind of like you two come as a set.”

“So, we’re a  _ buy one, get one free deal _ now?” Doyoung laughed despite himself. The fruit punch is 30% fruit and 70% punch, and he’s willing to take bets on how quick he’s going to get drunk now. “D’you want me to come and find him?”

“No need.” Taeil leans his hip against the kitchen counter, looking strangely inviting. “This is a big house. I bet you’d get lost trying to search for him in every nook and cranny.” 

The position they’re in seems indicative of something— of what, Doyoung doesn’t know, but he rests his elbow on the counter so that he’s caging Taeil in. “That reminds me, I haven’t been on the second floor yet,” he said, in a testing sort of way. 

“Ah,” Taeil tilted his head to the side like he’s deep in thought. “That place is kind of like an ‘authorized personnel only’ area.”

Doyoung’s laugh is loud in the otherwise empty kitchen. “I swear, I’m not planning on robbing you guys if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Wouldn’t count on it. I could show you upstairs if you really want to see, though.” Taeil placed his hand atop Doyoung’s once again, only this time, he kept it there.

“You’re kidding,” Doyoung was still smiling, but he could feel his heart hammering in his throat.

“I’m not,” Taeil squeezed Doyoung’s knuckles. “My bedroom’s the most spacious one, too. Got a queen bed and everything.” 

_ Special treatment, _ Doyoung thinks to himself. It feels good, like he’s the only person allowed to experience this kind of attention, like he stands out from among the rest. Right now, Doyoung is one in a million.

But then, Taeil is whispering to his ear, “There’s just enough space for three people.” And who is Doyoung to complain? He already knows who the third person is, what Taeil wants to happen here, and yet, he’s not against the idea of it.

Doyoung always settled for whatever’s safe, whatever’s normal, but he finds himself nodding along to Taeil’s every word. “The whole package, I see. Then I’ll take you up on your offer if that’s the case.”

Taeil reached for another couple of drinks on the counter, their cups of punch long since drained and forgotten to the side.

“Cheers?” Taeil asked, bringing his Malibu Jello shot close to Doyoung’s own glass. 

“Cheers.” Doyoung clinked their glasses together. He thinks he got the outcome he was looking for. The best outcome, he hopes.

It tastes of pineapples and coconuts and— Doyoung grimaces because when he chews, he’s hit with the severe bitterness of rum.

“You really are a lightweight,” Taeil chuckled. His lips are red. Doyoung thinks about how short the distance is between them right now. He slowly leans in.

“Woah, Doyoung-hyung?”

Or not. Doyoung whips around, ready to give a piece of his mind to whoever this is who disturbed them, but it’s just sweet, innocent Jungwoo, and Doyoung could never be mad at a guy like him. 

“Sorry,” Jungwoo stammered, “Kun-hyung was looking for you and I saw you head in here a while ago so I just—” 

“Um,” Doyoung tugged at his shirt collar. “I’m kind of, uh, tied-up right now.”

“No, he’s free,” Taeil told Jungwoo. Doyoung looked at him worriedly, afraid that he’s fucked it all up, but Taeil winked at him assuringly. “Go ahead and play with your other friends,” he instructed with a little laugh, “we’ll see each other eventually.”

Even though Doyoung was physically right there with Kun and Jungwoo and all their other friends, his mind was in a dreamscape land with Taeil, just the two of them in their own world speaking in bodies, connecting in ways that words can’t do.

⋆★⋆

At around 1 A.M, the Pina Coladas and Mai Tais start burning at the back of Doyoung’s throat, just as he spots Jaehyun pushing his way through the makeshift dance floor in the living room. “There you are!”

“Finally found you,” Jaehyun claps him on the back heartily. He must have had a lot to drink because he’s touchier than usual, but since he has a ridiculously high alcohol tolerance, it probably seems like he’s just regular old Jaehyun to the others.

It feels like ages since they’ve last seen each other even though in actuality, it’s only been a few hours at most. But that’s usually how things go with them, one can’t go for long without the other, but they’re both here now, and God, they are wasted.

“I need to piss so bad!” Doyoung yells over the sound of the obnoxiously loud trap music playing on the subwoofer speakers.

“Great!” Jaehyun yells back, laughing. “I’ll go with you!”

Like all parties, the line to the restroom is long and tedious. Luckily for Doyoung, he has Jaehyun with him now, making time pass in the blink of an eye with their easy conversations. Some people look at them like they’re crazy when Doyoung and Jaehyun enter the restroom together. Considering the circumstances, they probably are, but that’s just how they’ve always been. Their acquaintances like to point out sometimes that their friendship is akin to those of teenage girls because of how clingy they are to each other.

They both finish up their business and take turns washing their hands. Doyoung’s purposely stalling for time because he’s trying to figure out how to break the news to Jaehyun. He scrubs his palms thoroughly until the bubbles from the liquid soap start overflowing. "Hey, Jae, listen. Taeil-hyung's been sending me some... signals back there." Doyoung fumbles for the right words to say, but he thinks he managed to get the message across.

"Oh, you too?" Jaehyun replies, which is the last thing Doyoung would've ever thought to come out of his mouth, but here they are.

"Wait, what do you mean by _ 'you too?' _ " Doyoung abruptly stops scrubbing. He’s aware of what Taeil told him earlier, and Doyoung wants it too, it’s just that he didn’t think it would be this soon. 

"It means exactly what you think it means." Jaehyun’s lips curl into a confident smirk. It’s so infuriatingly Jaehyun that Doyoung has to laugh. "I’m not going to lie, I've had my eyes on him the entire time."

"So?" Doyoung leans over the sink to splash himself on the face with water. His reflection on the mirror is ghastly. "What do we do now?"

Jaehyun, on the other hand, is about as zen as a monk in a monastery. "There's no other way around it, is there?" he says, plainly.

Having reached a mutual conclusion, the two walk out of the restroom, ignoring complaints aimed at them for holding up the line.

The stairs to the second floor of the house suddenly seem more daunting than they really are. Doyoung has walked past it countless times now, but this is the first time he’s actually seeing it face-to-face. 

“Well?” Jaehyun wraps his long fingers around his wrist. “What are we waiting for?”

“Shut up,” Doyoung snaps, making the first step. “This is a big deal for me, okay.”

Jaehyun takes his grumbling in stride, as he always does. “Right. I almost forgot that this is Doyoung-hyung’s first time with a guy.”

They walk the rest of the way up while exchanging childish remarks, like they’re both postponing the main issue at hand which is the fact that somewhere in one of these rooms, Taeil is waiting for them with the sole purpose of fooling around. 

“Do you know where it is?” Doyoung’s pulse was erratic underneath his skin, and there was no doubt that Jaehyun could feel it from where he’s still holding on to him.

“Left side, furthest down the hall,” Jaehyun replied as they walked. To him, situations like this were a common happenstance, so he spoke with a kind of ease that only came with his proficiency. “He talked to me while you were away. Doesn’t it feel nice, having Taeil-hyung personally seek you out in a house full of, what, a hundred people?”

“You would know,” Doyoung grunted.

The door to Taeil’s room was right in front of them, nothing more than an obstacle that Jaehyun unhesitatingly pushed aside, as he did with all other things that got in his way. And behind every obstacle, there was a reward.

Taeil sat expectantly at the center of his bed, hair damp from the shower, bundled up in nothing but a white T-shirt that’s too big for him.

“Kept you waiting?” Jaehyun quipped as he climbed next to Taeil onto the bed, nosing against his neck. So much for being a perfect gentleman. Girls always liked to stereotype Jaehyun as this Prince Charming character, but he sure moves fast for someone who’s supposed to be noble.

“A little bit,” Taeil laughed into his hair. “I don’t mind waiting, though.”

Doyoung didn’t know what to do, so he just kind of stood there until Taeil noticed his cluelessness. “What are you still doing there, Doyoung-ah? Come over here, I don’t bite.” 

Doyoung made his way to them slowly, like he’s afraid that the spell will break if he acts too rashly. Once he got close enough to Taeil, a fistful of his hair was seized, sending him tumbling forward as Taeil kissed him violently on the lips. The contrast between how kind Taeil looks and how maliciously he acts is polarizing. 

“So,” he panted against Doyoung’s mouth, “who wants to go first?”

“Can I?” Jaehyun pouted. For the short moment that he’d been kissing Taeil, Doyoung somewhat forgot about him.

However, Taeil must be good at multitasking, because he pays careful attention to both of them at the same time. “If Doyoungie says it’s fine, then you can.”

“Let him,” Doyoung said, “or he’ll bitch about it like always when he doesn’t get his way.”

“You know me so well,” Jaehyun swooned before leaning in and pressing his lips against Doyoung’s. Let Doyoung speak for everybody else in the world who has done it when he says that kissing your best friend feels like the weirdest fucking thing ever.

But it’s also not the worst, so Doyoung reciprocates and even bites down on Jaehyun’s bottom lip. He can hear Taeil giggling beside them, and Doyoung would want to laugh too, except he can’t when his mouth is full of his best friend’s tongue. “Play nice, you two,” Taeil’s saying, and then he’s taking both of their cocks in his hands like it’s nothing.

Jaehyun groans, breaking away to press tiny lovebites on the crook of Taeil’s neck when he starts stroking. Doyoung’s not in a better state either, reaching over to touch Taeil anywhere he can. 

“As much as I enjoy this, I don’t wanna come from just your hand, hyung,” Jaehyun complained even as he lost himself to the skillful flicks of Taeil’s wrist.

“What about my mouth, instead?” Taeil teased.

“Fuck,” Jaehyun cursed lowly. “Or that. That could work too.” 

That stupid Hibiscus-patterned shirt of Jaehyun’s finally comes off when he hastily unbuttons it and throws it onto the floor. His shorts suffer the same fate, too, and all of a sudden Doyoung is the only overdressed one in the room. “Take your clothes off, hyung,” Jaehyun ordered. “You look ridiculous.”

Doyoung peered down offendedly at his own Aloha shirt. “You told me the palm tree design suited me, you bastard.”

“About that,” Jaehyun snickered as he pushed Taeil down to his knees. “I lied.”

Taeil hummed appreciatively against Jaehyun’s hipbone. It’s hard not to be even just a little bit jealous when Taeil has his face right between Jaehyun’s thighs. “You’d look so much better if you were naked, Doyoung-ah.”

The words escape Doyoung’s grasp. He merely bites the inside of his cheek as Taeil starts working his mouth across Jaehyun’s cock, pink tongue expertly licking broad stripes on the underside.  _ Screw this, _ Doyoung thought, finally ridding himself of his clothes and gathering the courage to touch himself.

“That’s better,” Jaehyun growled, and Doyoung didn’t know who he was talking to anymore. Was it Taeil, who was now looking up at him with big, teary eyes and upturned brows, or Doyoung, who was shamelessly getting himself off at the sight of them? Whoever it was, it didn’t matter anymore.

Taeil kept bobbing his head up and down at a maddeningly slow pace, so Jaehyun gripped the short hairs at the base of his neck and used it as leverage to thrust into his mouth greedily. Doyoung felt himself ignite from the inside out while watching them. “Jae,” he groaned, “don’t you want to come inside Taeil-hyung?”

Jaehyun barely manages to restrain himself, his hips faltering while he still holds onto Taeil for support. “I do,” he whined. “I really want to. Hyung, please—”

With an obscene pop, Taeil pulls his mouth off Jaehyun, seemingly proud of his own work. “Good boy,” he purred. “I love it when they know how to behave.”

“God,” Jaehyun trembled. “You’re driving me crazy, hyung. I wanna be inside you so bad.” 

“How about we ask Doyoungie to help us? He’s got very pretty hands.” Taeil approached Doyoung in the way a stray cat would, soft and sweet and prideful while also keeping him under scrutiny.

“He does,” Jaehyun agreed with a sigh. It was a weary kind of sigh, Jaehyun had been chasing his release but had been deprived, and yet there’s nothing much he can do about it.

A warmth spreads through Doyoung’s skin at the compliment. He’s not one to get easily flattered but something about it coming from Taeil just makes him want to drop down and worship at his feet. “Lie down for me?” Taeil asked sweetly and, of course, Doyoung obeyed. Taeil swung his legs over Doyoung’s waist once he did, straddling him without much difficulty.

Doyoung had been shaking when he took Taeil into his mouth, and he had still been shaking when he carefully slipped his long fingers in the soft opening of Taeil’s hole.

Breezily, Taeil laughed at him. From where Jaehyun had been kissing and nipping marks on Taeil’s back, he also laughed at him.  _ Fuck _ — Doyoung thought,  _ why are they all treating this like it’s a joke?  _ Excuse him for not having as much sexual experience as them. Outside of the brief stints Doyoung had with his past girlfriends and drunken hook-ups with some noonas who found him cute, he was plain vanilla, at most.

“Let me teach you how to do it,” Taeil murmured onto the underside of his ear as Doyoung closed his eyes from the embarrassment. Another pair of lips pressed a light kiss on his jaw, and then Doyoung’s feeling like he’s hurtling out of the cosmos when Taeil guides him, angling where his fingers should go with the persistent twist of his hips.

“You think he’s ready?” Jaehyun whispered, his breath ghosting over Doyoung’s cheek.

“Not—” Doyoung stuttered. Taeil grinded on his fingers insistently. “Not yet.” 

“Just a little more,” Taeil answered, closing his eyes to focus on the sensation stirring inside him. Doyoung took that as a sign to keep going, so he crooked his fingers and reveled in the way that Taeil whimpered. It’s such an enticing sound that Doyoung gives in to his carnal desires, spreading Taeil open even further until he cries out desperately.

“C’mon, hyung,” Jaehyun lamented, “isn’t that enough now?”

Seeing Jaehyun’s sulky expression, Doyoung slowly took his fingers out, then watched as Taeil caught his breath unsteadily. After a short while, he peeled himself off Doyoung’s body, letting him now be wrapped up in Jaehyun’s arms.

“You okay?” Jaehyun carded his hands through Taeil’s hair, smiling when he nodded his response. “Doyoung-hyung did well, didn’t he?”

“So good,” Taeil sighed, hooking a leg around Jaehyun’s waist. “I think I’m ready for you now.”

“Yeah?” Jaehyun whispered. He pressed their bodies closer together, amused at the quiet gasp Taeil let out when he felt Jaehyun’s dick on his own.

“You’re so big,” Taeil murmured against Jaehyun’s shoulder, “is it even gonna fit?”

Jaehyun breathed out a short laugh. “We’ll see.”

They get in position, Taeil on his hands and knees with Jaehyun behind him, and it takes almost all of Doyoung’s willpower to not spiral down the dirty gutter of his mind and imagine them in all sorts of compromising situations. He tries to concentrate on the present, on Jaehyun easing in until he’s buried to the hilt. The first few thrusts are shallow, but Taeil’s moans probably flipped a switch somewhere in Jaehyun, causing him to quicken his pace and take it deeper, skin slapping against skin echoing in the room.

At that moment, Doyoung thinks there isn't a sight more beautiful than Jaehyun roughly pounding Taeil into the mattress until he's turning red and sensitive from the overstimulation.

They look good together. Two attractive people who clearly know what they're doing in bed. It's not that Doyoung hasn't done this before. In fact, he has, quite a healthy amount of times, if he says so himself. But Jaehyun is just charming and provocative enough that it's inevitable for him to end up in the bedroom with a lover more times than is actually necessary, and Taeil is a couple years older than them and his eyes hold a secret in them that says experience does come with age, and he's a testament to that.

If Taeil moves like flowing water, smooth and elegant and full of tranquility, then Jaehyun is pure fire, a brilliant, bright, and sporadic inferno engulfing everything in sight. They begin to break rhythm, and from then on, it’s a mess of uncoordinated thrusts and desperate moaning. When Jaehyun comes, he takes Taeil with him, a muscled forearm tugging Taeil’s waist back against his body, trapping him with nowhere to go.

“Jaehyun, oh God—” Taeil’s whining, back arched while still caught in Jaehyun’s feverish hold.

They stay like that for some time, Jaehyun’s face shrouded in between Taeil’s shoulder blades but his reddened ears betraying his own vulnerabilities.

“That was quick,” Doyoung laughs weakly when he comes back to his senses. Somewhere in the middle of watching them, he almost tipped over to the brink but was able to hold it in, and now Doyoung’s catching Taeil when he almost stumbles trying to climb off Jaehyun.

Jaehyun collapses heavily onto the bed, taking up almost all of the space until Doyoung kicks him on the side to move. “Fuck off,” he grumbles, “I’d like to see you try.”

“Your turn.”

As Doyoung’s gaze landed on Taeil, who’s already regaining his composure, he turns into a loss for words. Taeil was looking at him with those eyes again. Dark and radiant at the same time. Pure but sinful. An odd mixture of alluring and naive. Doyoung’s heartbeat quickens in his chest. “Me?”

He knew this was going to happen, but he’d been putting it off until the last minute, which is ironic, because Doyoung never procrastinates.

“Yes, you.” Taeil’s weight was back on his lap again, one that Doyoung has come to recognize as a comfortable force in his bearings. “Poor Doyoungie, you haven’t even come once. We can’t just have that, can we?”

Doyoung bit back a moan, because Taeil was gripping both of their erections in his hand, a hand so small and delicate that Doyoung looked upon with wonder because  _ how the hell was he able to fit both of them around that hand? _

“You’re too much,” Doyoung said, and Jaehyun huffed lightly from where he was laying down beside them. Doyoung can’t blame him, it is funny because even though Taeil’s too much, he just can’t get enough of him. Taeil only smiled at him guiltlessly, and continued jerking him and Doyoung off, bringing them to the highest point of pleasure. Except Doyoung doesn’t want to finish like this before he even gets to fuck Taeil, so he grabs hold of the plump flesh of his ass, making Taeil keen under his touch.

_ I wanna fuck you.  _ The words are on the tip of his tongue, but Taeil beats him to it without saying anything, shoving Doyoung until his back is flat on the surface of the bed. The mattress dips when Jaehyun sits up, looking irritatingly smug with that grin on his face. Just mere minutes ago, he was run down from exhaustion and now, he’s all ready and raring to go. “Are you for real?” Doyoung groaned. It didn’t help that Taeil was rubbing against him in the most agonizing way possible. “Give it a rest, you adrenaline freak.”

“Relax,” Jaehyun sneered. “I’m just going to watch, okay. Can’t miss any action when it’s going on right in front of me.”

“Okay, then.” Taeil gave him a tempting glance. He lined up Doyoung’s cock along his entrance, and clearly, Jaehyun couldn’t take his eyes off that. “Make sure you take a good look at this.”

Heaven. One way to describe it when Taeil sinks down on Doyoung’s cock would be heaven. Doyoung’s knees buckle from the unknown but gratifying feeling. Taeil’s biting on his own knuckles as every inch consumes him, his very being set aflame from deep inside. Someone takes a deep breath, and neither of the three know which one it is. 

Taeil starts riding Doyoung, each drop feeling more and more blissful than the last. It does nothing to sate Doyoung’s appetite, so he pulls Taeil’s hips down harder on him, leaving him to cry out for  _ more, faster, just like that—  _ His blunt nails are digging into Doyoung’s shoulders, but fuck it if he even cares anymore, the only thing that matters is Taeil, his legs stretching beautifully with every movement, the sinful tones that he sings when Doyoung hits that spot inside of him that feels the fucking best.

Then Doyoung’s dragging his hands behind Taeil, on his ass, fingers leaving indents on the soft muscle, prying it apart like he’s showing him off for Jaehyun, who gives in to his urges and leaves a blazing trail of touches on Taeil. He’s close, his actions are becoming sloppy and erratic, so Jaehyun decides to help him out by wrapping a hand around his strained erection, burning him up with heated strokes. Doyoung’s following, too, snapping his hips up to the pace that Jaehyun is setting, and then, finally, finally, he explodes like firecracker and evaporates into smoke.

Taeil lets out a loud sob when he comes, clutching Doyoung’s forearms as he tightens around him uncontrollably. 

For a while, no one speaks or moves. The three of them spend several seconds trying to catch their breath, the throbbing in between where Taeil and Doyoung’s bodies are connected gradually quelling until what’s only left is a dull thrum. Completely spent but satisfied, Taeil slumps down against Doyoung’s chest, not minding all the mess nor the turbulent drum of his heartbeat.

Doyoung's so tired that he can barely keep his eyes open anymore. He doesn’t even have time to bask in the afterglow because of how worn out he is, but Taeil’s warmth makes for a pleasant reliever of his tension. His left side is a little bit cold, but not for long, because Jaehyun settles in next to him, giggling childishly at what just transpired. Doyoung’s feeling a lot of things all at once right now, but he can’t be assed to think about it when he’s this tired.

“You did great,” Jaehyun murmured playfully into his ear, and Doyoung wrinkled his nose at the proximity.

“Doesn’t compare to you, though.”

This time, another voice sleepily drifted into the air. “It was the best,” Taeil said, pecking Doyoung’s cheek once before falling back onto the pillows, and that was all he needed for his chest to feel so full.

His eyelids slowly flutter shut, bringing him to an illusory paradise where everything is made for three.


	4. Chapter 4

Taeil smiles at them the next day as if nothing had ever happened.

To be fair, it's not like he wasn't disregarding the night before and what had just happened, but his whole easygoing attitude about it has Doyoung wondering if it was even real in the first place.

"Are you okay?" Taeil's fingers lightly brushed over his arm, and Doyoung had to take a moment to process what he was hinting at. His mind was still, admittedly, a little cloudy from oversleeping and all the cheap liquor he ingested.

"Yeah," Doyoung said as he slid off the covers, momentarily forgetting that he's still butt-naked. "Yeah. I'm good." He wanted to say more than that— he _should've_ said more, but then he's mesmerized by the pretty little curves of Taeil's mouth. It would be so easy to take them into his own. But he doesn't.

Over breakfast (Jaehyun had cooked stir-fried rice while everyone else was asleep), Doyoung felt Taeil staring at him curiously, as if he had something to say but couldn't quite pinpoint the words. In the end, they ate and emptied their cups of coffee silently, and when it was time to go, Taeil lingered by the front door longer than necessary.

"Well, that was quite the experience." Jaehyun was the one to acknowledge the torrential iceberg looming right above their heads. He did it in a way that was so effortless and unhesitating, and Doyoung can’t help but envy that quality of his. 

"I enjoyed it a lot," Taeil replied with a little bit of a shrug.

"Care to do it again?"

"If you're offering, then, sure. Why not?"

Jaehyun smiles widely, all charming dimples and crinkled eyes. That should be the end of their exchange, but things never go the way they’re supposed to, and Jaehyun’s leaning in to kiss Taeil on his cheek without notice. “See you around,” he laughs. And with that, they’re off, Taeil waving cheerily at them from the porch until they’re out of sight.

_Doyoung can’t fucking comprehend Jung Jaehyun’s mind sometimes._

In overly clichéd fashion, Doyoung and Jaehyun do the Walk of Shame alongside a few hungover girls from the party walking barefoot on the pavement, all clutching the strap of their high heels with one hand. Jaehyun walks in long strides, like he’s absolutely without a care in the world. Meanwhile Doyoung is lagging a few steps behind Jaehyun, the very picture of devastation.

Jaehyun pauses, waiting for Doyoung to catch up, matching the same sluggish pace as him. "What's wrong? You haven't been looking well since this morning."

"I'm doomed," Doyoung suddenly cries out, hunching down on the ground and burying his face in his hands. They’re relatively closer to the campus now, so there’s already a numerous amount of people out and about, who are now unfortunately witness to Doyoung’s nervous breakdown in the middle of the streets.

“Uh-oh,” Jaehyun says. He’s immediately beside Doyoung, patting his back in a comforting gesture, but that just makes him feel even more terrible. Truthfully, Jaehyun’s not that good at consoling people. He’s always the kind of friend that stands around looking confused while someone cries, but he’s seen Doyoung act like a drama queen enough times now to know what kind of empathetic monologues to give him.

"Don't worry about it," Jaehyun says, which is honestly the worst thing you could say to a worrywart like Doyoung. "It's just a one-night stand! Happens to the best of us."

Doyoung's pretty sure that he doesn't meet the qualifications for what Jaehyun says is _the best of us,_ whatever that is.

“Jaehyun,” Doyoung exhales heavily, as if the entire world has just come crashing down on those wide shoulders of his. “I can’t. I can’t help but worry about it because I like Taeil-hyung. A lot.”

For once in his life, Jaehyun is at a loss for words. “Oh. Hyung, I—”

Doyoung laughs a little at his stupefied face. “You can’t tell?”

Jaehyun’s voice shrinks with every word he says. “I didn’t think you would be this serious about him...” 

Doyoung smiles wryly. “Me neither.”

A full minute passes, just Doyoung and Jaehyun seated on the fucking concrete, trying to wrap their heads around the whole situation while strangers pass them by in a flurry. Slowly, steadily, Jaehyun rises to his feet. He holds a hand out to Doyoung. “Let’s go home, hyung.”

Doyoung sighs as he takes his hand. _Home._ At least that was something he can look forward to.

  
  


⋆★⋆

  
  


With the end of rush week comes a thousand college kids returning to their regular way of life before the debauchery they led on, sex and alcohol replaced by textbooks and coffee. Bid day approaches, and so everyone starts cramming like their lives depended on it to get on the good side of the frats they’ve rushed. 

Doyong’s not any different, getting some reading done in his dorm, nose buried deep in Music History reference materials. And if anyone’s asking, no— he’s definitely not busying himself with academics to distract from the whole Taeil Situation. He’s halfway through the 1900’s section of the syllabus when Jaehyun peeks his head in through the doorframe.

“Knock-knock,” he says, waving around a couple of envelopes in his hand. “Guess what just came in the mail.”

Doyoung detaches himself from the mountain of books and papers on his bed. He’s been at it for several hours now and hadn’t even noticed until he was disrupted. Doyoung squints at the envelopes. He might have an inkling of what it is. “Are those… our bid invitations?”

Jaehyun cheesily shoots him a finger gun. “Bingo! This is it, hyung, our one-way ticket to becoming legends. I can see it now, poets will write sonnets about us and minstrels will sing us praise—”

Doyoung snatches up the envelope with his name on it, interrupting Jaehyun before he gets into another one of his long-winded spiels about making the best out of your youth. “Yep, sure. You do that,” he says, more interested in the cardstock invitation he’s holding. It’s surreal, getting a bid was something Doyoung never thought would happen, he only went along with Jaehyun’s whims at first but now he’s pretty invested in it. He traces the beveled text in ornate gold letters on the card. The _ceremony starts this Friday, at 5 P.M in the Campus Auditorium._

Friday. Just three more days until he can see Taeil again. Doyoung’s heart starts beating out of his chest for some reason. He still hasn’t forgotten, not one bit. How warm Taeil’s skin had been. How he wrapped around Doyoung so perfectly like they were meant for one another, cut from the same cloth and brought back together by some miraculous twist of fate.

How he was _so, so close—_ but slipped out of Doyoung’s reach with a graceful nuance that even oceans would yearn for.

One thing that Jaehyun’s gotten skilled at over the years is his ability to pick up on Doyoung’s inner thoughts, almost like a sixth sense. Given that Doyoung’s the overly expressive type to let it all show on his face, it’s not that hard, but it’s moments like these when he gets quiet that only Jaehyun can interpret.

“Ah, you’re stressing out about _that_ again, right?” Jaehyun sat down on the edge of his bed, fixing Doyoung with a complacent sort of look. A look that says, _I’ve got the answers to all the secrets of this universe._

“Of course I am!” Doyoung fumed, articulating wildly with his hands. “How am I supposed to face him after I’ve realized all these… these fucking mess of feelings?!”

“Hey,” Jaehyun tried to pacify him, reaching out to Doyoung and taking his hands in between his. “Calm down, alright? I’m here. I’ll help you out with this.”

A shaky breath left Doyoung’s mouth, his shoulders trembling along with it. “How… are you going to do that?”

“Simple,” Jaehyun said, squeezing Doyoung’s hands. “You need to get closer to Taeil-hyung. You need to get out of your comfort zone, try out new things with him, and _I’ll_ be the one that makes it all happen.”

“You sound so sure about yourself,” Doyoung scoffed.

With all the amount of sincerity that he can muster, Jaehyun pats Doyoung’s arm and says, “When there’s a will, there’s a way, bro.”

Sometimes Doyoung wonders where Jaehyun gets his unwavering determination. He falls back onto his bed, crushing the tower of books beneath him.

“This better be worth it.”

  
  


⋆★⋆

  
  


Being the officially certified frat boys that they are now, Doyoung and Jaehyun show up to the bid day ceremony decked out in button-ups with blazers, pastel-colored shorts and boat shoes. Johnny asks them if they’re intentionally trying to look like a stereotype and Doyoung blames it all on Jung Jaehyun A.K.A “Jay” from Connecticut. Who else’s stupid idea would it be?

“Great. Cool. Awesome. It looks kinda stupid when you’re in the middle of Korea, though,” Johnny snickered as he ushered them to their seats where the other rushees are.

“That’s what I kept telling him!” Doyoung groaned out loud.

Johnny flashed them this grin that should be annoying but just makes him look like a giant puppy. “And yet, you ended up following him anyway. I wonder why.”

Jaehyun grinned back. “Oh, he would follow me even to the depths of hell.”

“That’s one _hell_ of a friendship you’ve got there,” Johnny punned, winking at them before making his way back to the Nu Chi Tau officers’ post.

Doyoung and Jaehyun take their seats, and Ten gasps loudly when he sees the two of them. “You two… look like clowns.”

“Quiet,” Kun elbows him on the side. “It’s starting already.”

Up on the stage, a skittish-looking man in a suit taps the mic twice, followed up by a bout of him mumbling, “Erm, hello? Is this thing on?”

Some of the students in front laughed at the display of awkwardness. Doyoung let out a scoff of his own, but the man cleared his throat and began to speak, more intently this time.

“Right, so. Good evening, gentlemen! I am Associate Professor Kim Junmyeon, Administrator of the Multicultural Greek Council and your Master of Ceremony for today. Before we formally begin, I’d like to start this off with an opening speech. Many of you are aware that I am an alumni of Epsilon Chi Omega, otherwise known as EXO. In fact, I was President of my chapter! Now, let me recount to you this journey of mine from the good old days—”

Doyoung immediately tunes out on the first minute of the speech. As much as he hates to be that guy, Doyoung is grateful that Jaehyun starts to chit-chat with him so he can occupy himself with something else other than this boring-ass declamation.

"Look," Jaehyun said in a small voice, "there's Taeil-hyung over there."

"Where?" Doyoung whipped his head around and stretched his neck, trying to see amidst the crowd of people. It was a fucking sausage fest in there. Doyoung never saw so many guys gathered in one place more than right now. He didn’t know that college dudes took fraternity life so seriously.

Jaehyun promptly smacked him on the knee. "He's staring, you idiot. Don't be so obvious!"

Doyoung pinched Jaehyun's arm in retaliation. "Whatever man," he sighed. "I just wanna get this over with already."

"Couldn't you be a little more excited, maybe?" Jaehyun asked.

"I wish I could have some of your positivity," Doyoung sulked, waggling his fingers at Jaehyun as if trying to absorb his energy.

“Everything will work out,” Jaehyun said, holding his pinky up. “Leave it all to me. I promise.”

Doyoung stared at his hand blankly, but eventually gave in and linked their fingers together. “Okay, okay… I trust you.”

The godforsaken opening speech had finally ended, kicking off the part that everyone really came there for. One after another, the officers from different frats stepped onstage to hand out bid cards to the rushees. Some were crying, whether it’s from glee or rejection. Most of the guys just seemed really hyper about it, signing their cards and then cheering triumphantly, giving group hugs or doing victory dances. Of course, Doyoung tried to look like he didn’t really care about it, but inside him was a whirling tornado of emotions, especially when Taeil handed him his card, beaming proudly. Jaehyun embraced him, which seemed more like a headlock and Doyoung can barely breathe, but he supposes it’s alright when he feels a mass of other bodies join in on them. It feels like he belongs. Like he’s found where he’s supposed to be.

They break apart for air, laughing goofily even as Taeyong claps his hands together to make an announcement.

“Congratulations, pledges,” he says, looking very suspiciously smug. “This is only the first step of your process to becoming one of us. A little brother always needs a big brother, and how damn lucky you all are because you’ve got the best ones in the campus right here.”

“Wait for your names to be called,” Yuta chimes in with a wicked grin on his face. “You’ll all be assigned to one of the officers through drawing lots. Just pray that it won’t be Taeyong.”

In horror, the pledges slink back ever so slightly because Taeyong cackles like some super villain that’s plotting to destroy the world. Good grief. Doyoung knew it was too early to relax.

Everyone knows that Lee Taeyong is the de facto President of Nu Chi Tau, but that’s only because he’s legacy. Apparently, he’s from a long line of natural-born leaders that have ruled over the campus for generations. Or so they’ve heard.

And it’s just Doyoung’s rotten luck that Lee Taeyong ends up being his mentor during the whole initiation.

“Alright, Kim Dongyoung,” Taeyong declared, “I hope you’re ready to get whipped into shape.”

Doyoung must look so against this arrangement because Taeyong adds, “Hey, don’t look so beat up about it. I’m basically doing you a favor by agreeing to this.”

Doyoung looks over to the side, where Taeil is having a grand old time with Donghyuck and Mark. _Damn those freshmen. Why are there so many of them? Who even allowed them to pledge, anyway?_

Taeyong whispers conspiratorially in his ear. “What, you jealous or something? Taeil-hyung doesn’t really haze neophytes. It kinda goes against our tradition, but he’s Vice President _and_ my best bro, so he can do whatever the hell he wants.”

Doyoung shakes his head in disbelief. Taeil must have a knack for taming wild animals if even the big bad boss of Nu Chi Tau is willing to bend the rules just for him.

“Well,” Taeyong finally lets Doyoung out of his iron grip, that harmless kitty smile back on his face, at least, for now. “Now that’s all settled, let’s get to the afterparty, hm?”

  
  


⋆★⋆

  
  


One would’ve expected more from the bid day afterparty of a renowned frat, but to be frank, it was simply a glorified cookout in the NCT House’s backyard. Johnny was standing in front of the grill, preparing pork ribs as Jaehyun worked hard to fan away the smoke from his face. Their newfound bond as pledge and mentor formally started today, but Doyoung always thought they had an affinity from the start. They were like siblings or something similar to that effect. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yuta filling Sicheng’s plate with freshly-cooked barbecue while completely disregarding Jungwoo who had the misfortune of being his other pledge. Taeil, Mark and Donghyuck were seated on the grass… _and Taeil was singing? Along to Mark playing guitar?!_ Doyoung was going to lose his shit. Oh, the things he would do to be in Donghyuck’s place. That little brat. Meanwhile, he’s stuck here with Lee Fucking Taeyong, roasting corndogs.

He was the only one being awkward here, it seemed.

Doyoung tried sending a telepathic message to Jaehyun, which, like magic, seemed to work because he snapped his head up and met Doyoung’s eyes. “Sorry,” he told Taeyong, “‘scuse me for a bit, hyung.”

“Hey!” Taeyong yelled after him. “Where do you think you’re going, Assistant Chef Kim!”

Without sparing another look back, Doyong pulled Jaehyun aside. Thankfully, Johnny seems too absorbed in his task to notice them. They sit down on a couple of patio chairs by the far end of the yard. “Listen, man,” Doyoung said, shaking Jaehyun by his shoulders. "Can't we just skip the afterparty?"

Jaehyun blinked once. “Beg your pardon?”

Alright, so maybe Doyoung needed to rephrase his words. “I. Want. Us. To. Leave. Now.”

Jaehyun crossed his arms, squinting at him. “Fine, I’ll bite. Why do you want us to leave now?”

“Because—”

Another voice pops up out of nowhere while Doyoung’s in the middle of talking. “What are you two plotting there?”

“Taeil-hyung!” Jaehyun exclaimed, and Doyoung almost fell off the chair as he tipped back in shock. 

Doyoung hasn’t even recovered from the near-fall when Jaehyun exposes their agenda to Taeil, who’s standing there with his hands on his hips. “We’re ditching,” he says. “Or, uh, at least Doyoung-hyung wants to.”

“Oh, nice.” Taeil nodded, completely unbothered by the fact that they had the intention to practically sneak away from the brothers. “Can I come?”

Doyoung can almost see the gears turning in Jaehyun’s brain as he answers. “Yeah, by all means, come with us! I know just the place to be." The puzzle pieces click into place. So, this is where Jaehyun’s grand scheme starts off? _That brilliant bastard._

So they slip out of the house while everyone’s occupied, and it feels sort of thrilling, reminding Doyoung of moments like the first time he skipped class, or the night where this older kid smuggled in a pack of smokes to summer camp and he took a puff out of one.

“Where exactly are we going now?” Doyoung asks. 

The road isn’t exactly bright around this neighborhood but Jaehyun walks with such a definitive direction in mind. “Oh, you’ll see in a bit.” He grins. "Taeil-hyung, help me out here, won't you?"

“How can I be of service?” Taeil questioned in a teasing manner.

“Cover his eyes, please. I want it to be a surprise,” Jaehyun said with a slight laugh.

Before Doyoung even has time to react, he’s being pulled along by Jaehyun, Taeil following closely behind him, obscuring his vision with the palms of his hands. They walk together just like that, a trio of fools making their way to who knows where.

After what seems like a lifetime, Jaehyun releases his hold on Doyoung and Taeil lets him see again. They’re face-to-face with a chain link fence, and when Doyoung’s eyes adjust to the darkness, he recognizes instantly where they are. “Wait a minute, this is the school’s gym.”

“Get in, hurry,” Jaehyun waves them over, gesturing to a tear in the fence that’s almost imperceptible at first. He manages to crawl in through the tiny gap, and so does Taeil. Doyoung’s pretty sure that what they’re doing is technically a crime, but he’s got no choice now, he’s already their accomplice from the start, so he throws away his inhibitions and straight-up trespasses on private property.

A large pool stretches out in front of them, the cerulean water still and undisturbed, but definitely not for long.

Jaehyun starts stripping down, throwing his garments carelessly by the poolside, but then his underwear comes off too, making Doyoung screech, “Why are you taking all your clothes off?!”

“It’s called skinny-dipping. I learned about it when I was in the States. The kids back there were all sorts of crazy, I tell you.”

"Stop acting like you're foreign, it was only four years."

Jaehyun laughs his ass off at the statement. "Wow, hyung. Harsh."

Taeil looks amused by just watching them, face cupped between his hands as he’s sitting cross-legged on the ground. The peace is broken when Jaehyun pounces on him, tickling him mercilessly until Taeil’s letting out hiccupy laughter. 

“Hyung,” Jaehyun pouts. “Take your clothes off already.”

“I got it, I got it!” Taeil squeals, pushing Jaehyun off and slipping out of his shirt and jeans.

As for Doyoung, well, he doesn’t need to be told what to do. Who even cares anymore when they’ve all gotten naked and fucked around with each other?

Jaehyun cannonballs into the pool, making a loud splash that is definitely going to get them into trouble if they’re ever caught. 

They wade around in the water for a while, just reveling in the momentary freedom of the present. Taeil paddles over to Doyoung, shivering from the combined chill of the night air and the water. “It’s cold,” he complains, holding onto Doyoung’s shoulder. A ringing sound goes off in the distance, and Jaehyun emerges from the poolside while shaking the excess moisture from his hair, like some kind of wet dog. “Ah, crap,” he groans. “Who’s calling me at this time?”

Doyoung can’t help but laugh as he overhears Johnny asking where the hell they are, saying that they’re missing out on all the fun and Jaehyun making up some lame excuse about how Doyoung wasn’t feeling well so he and Taeil sent him back to the dorms.

He may be a bit delirious, because he turns back to see Taeil looking up at him fondly, and Doyoung finds him so incredibly beautiful like that, bathed under the pale moonlight, eyes shining. Doyoung’s laughter fades out, only a remnant of a smile left in his voice. This feels like perfect timing, somehow.

“Hey, hyung,” he calls out softly. “Come a little closer.”

Taeil obliges, tilting his face up as if he already knows what Doyoung wants. And he does. He tastes like the faintest hint of chlorine and fruit-flavored lip balm. Taeil's lips are a little chapped but none of it matters when Doyoung’s finally kissing him again, carefully.

They part just as Jaehyun finishes with his call, staring back at them with an intrigued expression. “Hey… What are you guys up to over there?”

“It’s a secret,” Taeil says, and Doyoung might just be completely, undeniably obsessed with him.

⋆★⋆

Yuta clears his throat amidst the ruckus, slamming his fist on the wooden desk to call everyone’s attention. It’s only the first pledge meeting in Nu Chi Tau and they’re already making schedules for the next big event. _How unsurprising._

“We’re having a foam party tomorrow,” he announces. “I expect each and every one of you to be present because Lord knows we didn’t spend 500k for nothing. There’s also a Slip ‘N Slide so I better not see any of you fuckers in jeans and polos or some shit.”

Once there’s a collective agreement from the pledges, Yuta dismisses them, effectively giving rise to the more dreaded part of this meeting.

“Kim Dongyoung, are you even listening to me?”

Doyoung sighs. He’s on his third can of warm beer, seated by the patio while listening to Lee Taeyong’s grievances about sorority girls for the past half hour.

“To be fair, hyung, I don’t think Kang Seulgi or any of the other sisters are interested in guys. Especially guys like y—”

Grabbing the can from his hands, Taeyong clicks his tongue and says, “Alright, that’s it. Run twenty laps outside the house then clean the bathroom when you’re done.” 

“You’re such a fucking slave driver,” Doyoung complained.

Taeyong remains unaffected by his lamentation. “You were in the track team in high school, right? This should be a piece of cake for you. Now, go!”

Doyoung gives him a strange look. “Who told you I used to be in Track?”

Taeyong gives him an even stranger look. “Your boyfriend did.”

There's only one person who's been with Doyoung long enough to blab about his high school history. He scrunches his nose up at the realization. “Jaehyun isn’t my boyfriend.”

“We’re an all-inclusive fraternity, you know. No judgment here on our part.”

“That’s not it!”

"No, I get it," Taeyong waves him off easily. "He isn't your boyfriend _yet,_ right?"

Doyoung gives up, leaving Taeyong to run his twenty fucking laps outside the chapter house.

⋆★⋆

Jaehyun is nowhere to be seen the next day. Not in their dorm room. Not in the student lounge. Not in the coffee shop nearby. No missed calls from him either. It’s a Saturday and Doyoung woke up in the afternoon, much later than he usually does because the fatigue from yesterday had heavily weighed down on him. There’s an unfamiliar sense of quietude that he’s not used to, and so he finally resorts to ringing up Jaehyun’s number.

Three, four, five rings pass before he picks up.

“You’ve reached the number of the most handsome man in the world. Jung Jaehyun speaking.”

Doyoung lets out the biggest sigh that there ever was. “Would it kill you to at least inform me where you were?”

“Sorry, sorry!” Jaehyun laughs. “We’re at the house right now. I’m doing some grunt work and helping out with the party preparations. A lotta stuff needed to be set up so I didn’t get the chance to call you.”

“You could’ve left a note, or even just a voicemail!” Doyoung argued. “Besides, why are you at the house while I’m left here getting worked up about where your stupid ass has gone off to?”

A sequence of loud noises can be heard in the background, like someone’s moving a bunch of heavy stuff. Jaehyun’s voice comes out a little muffled. “The thing is, Taeyong-hyung said he tired you out pretty badly.”

“Huh,” Doyoung said. “So Lee Taeyong has a conscience after all.”

Someone yells out, and Jaehyun groans. “Crap, the foam machine’s acting up again. Look, hyung, I’ll see you later, alright? I really am sorry. Thank you for worrying so much about me.”

Doyoung bit the inside of his cheek. “I wasn’t worried.” 

“Sure you weren’t,” Jaehyun chuckles. “Let’s meet each other at the party, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The phone call ends with an unsatisfying bout of static.

For what seems like the first time, the space next to Doyoung seems so abnormally empty.

_It really is fucking weird without Jaehyun by his side._

⋆★⋆

Despite his unassuming looks, Doyoung isn’t exactly a wallflower. But with the way things are going, he sure feels like one. Taeyong has appointed him as janitor for the night, giving out orders like: _go mop the entryway so no one slips and breaks a bone. Cleanup on aisle six. There’s a beer spillage situation here again, will a certain someone please come and dry this off?_

With that being said, Doyoung’s not really in the mood to go and get his feet wet (in a literal sense). Seriously. The whole house is like fucking Atlantis with the amount of foam, bubbles and water circulating around it. This was a stupid idea of a party. And Doyoung’s supposed to clean this all up?

Like his prayers were heard, a reprieve comes by in the form of Yuta beckoning him over with a yell.

“Hey, Doyoung, get your ass over here!”

“What do you want?” he answers. “I’m kinda busy stroking Lee Taeyong’s ego at the moment.”

Yuta shakes his head. “Nevermind that. There’s a girl back there looking for you. Said her name was Sejoon or something? Can’t remember.”

Doyoung’s jaw drops. “Please tell me you don’t mean Sejeong.”

Yuta snaps his fingers. “Ah, yeah, Sejeong!” he exclaims. “That was her name. Now I remember.”

_Fuck,_ Doyoung thought. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck._ He was so royally fucked-up. What did she want from him now after all those years?

“Did she say why she wanted to talk to me?” Doyoung slowly asked.

“Nah,” Yuta replied. “But I mean, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’ll go,” Doyoung said. “It’d be rude to her if I didn’t.”

“You sure you’re okay, man?” Yuta scratched his head.

“I’m fine, hyung.”

“Well, alright then. She’s out by the front porch.”

Doyoung’s steps feel heavy as lead, he walks from the living room to the outside of the house, where Sejeong is waiting. She’s in this frilly yellow sundress, her hands clasped behind her back as she paces around nervously.

“Hey,” Doyoung utters. His clothes are still damp with sudsy water and he doesn’t know what to do with himself so he just plants himself there, a good distance away from her. “I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

“We met in this house at that first party back then, didn’t we?” Sejeong said.

“We did.” Doyoung nodded. “Sorry we didn’t have a chance to talk, I was just, um, occupied with something at that time. Speaking of which, why’d you call me out here?”

“You know,” Sejeong started. She drew a little closer to him and Doyoung swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you even back then. I know we didn’t exactly end on good terms in highschool, but I just thought— what if? We were still so young. We could… do better, now that we’ve matured.”

“I’m sorry,” Doyoung said, running a hand down his face. He suddenly felt so tired. “But you can’t expect me to simply fall in love with you all over again after that. Yes, we made plans together. We were supposed to go to the same university but you had other dreams to fulfill. So, you left. And then, last year, you— You just waltzed in here like nothing even happened and now you want to take me back?”

“Doyoung—”

“No,” Doyoung cut her off. His hands were balled into fists now and her eyes were red and misty, but he needed to put an end to this once and for all. “I never stopped liking you, but after all I’ve been through, I finally forgot about it and moved on. And you should too. If it’s closure you want, then this is it. I’m sorry that things can’t be the same anymore. Besides, I—”

A pause. Sejeong turned away from him as if she knew where this was going to end. Still, Doyoung managed to say it before she could walk off.

“I can’t love you anymore because I already have someone I’m interested in.”

“You idiot,” she said. “All those times we spent apart… I never did stop thinking about you.”

Doyung doesn’t say a word. He hears the sound of her sniffling before she runs back into the house and disappears into the sea of people.

Feeling defeated, Doyoung sinks down onto the ground.

He groans. “I am such a fucking asshole.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [oh no more drama who would've guessed?] ok also i wanna say sorry for the late ass update and sorry that there's like no taeil in this... this update's 5k words if that makes it any better tho. i'm preparing for the next chapter to have more important developments but ur girl is really going through it. if anyone is still keeping up and reading this story, thank you from the bottom of my heart 💗🥺


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